“How I survived melanoma skin
cancer and how YOU can too!”
“People are often sceptical when I tell my story. Four years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma (the final and almost-always fatal kind). I chose to treat it solely with alternative therapies and powerful positive thinking.
Now, four years later, I’m cancer-free.”
That’s Glenda’s survival story … read on and discover the uplifting stories from six other amazing melanoma survivors
From Daryl Grant, PhD
Brisbane, Australia
Dear friend,
If you or one of your loved ones is suffering from melanoma skin cancer, then this could be the most uplifting message you have ever read.
You see, I’ve recently put together an e-book called “How I Survived Melanoma Skin Cancer – seven survivors tell their stories”. In it, you’ll discover 7 amazing people with one deadly thing in common … they all had melanoma skin cancer.
But here’s the good news. Every one of these 7 remarkable people beat the cancer. They’re living proof that melanoma doesn’t have to be a death sentence; that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
So if you’re feeling afraid, uncertain, and worried about the future, then please relax. You’re not alone. And help is at hand. Read on and discover how others have coped with their cancer and how they battled through and eventually WON.
But first, let me explain how this book came about … let me take you back to when I first was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was a day that truly changed my life.
A Simple Visit To My Doctor That Shattered My World!
Recently I went to my General Practitioner for my regular check up. While I was there I mentioned to her that I had a mole on my forearm that had changed shape – it had started to elongate out one side. I supposed it was nothing, but I have an attitude of “better safe than sorry”, so I showed it to her.
Her reaction surprised me. She immediately booked me in to have it removed, and when I asked her “why the rush?”, she said “I don’t like the look of it. I want to have it removed and checked out.” I felt a cold “thud” in the pit of my stomach, and the back of my neck started to prickle. I started to fear the worst. I grew up in a small beach-side town, and every summer I would spend days at the beach. With no sun-screen, and a fair complexion, I would burn-and-peel, burn-and-peel. I suddenly felt that maybe things were catching up on me.
I was booked in for surgery to remove the mole in 3 days.
I went straight home and started surfing the internet for any information on melanoma. I found lots of clinical sites, which spoke about “sentinel lymph nodes” and “melanocytes”. I felt like I was learning a whole new language. I became quite frustrated and confused with the huge volume of information that was there, especially when so much of it was written in medical jargon. I have a PhD in biochemistry, yet I still found the information confusing!
Then there were those websites selling all sorts of herbs and potions, and promising miraculous cures. The cynic in me said “I guess if people are desperate they’ll try anything”. I wondered if I would get to the stage of trying these alternative therapies, and if so, how I would choose between them.
It was at this stage that a friend told me about a book she had written.
She had had personal experience with melanoma (with a family member) and at the time, she explored many options regarding treatment and did a lot of research. She told me that she felt that a comprehensive, user-friendly, non-intimidating and positive book about how to survive melanoma was much needed, and so she had written “How I Survived Melanoma Skin Cancer—seven survivors tell their stories”. Glenda’s story was one of these. She also asked me if I’d like to set up a web-site to share this information with others, and which could potentially raise funds for cancer research. I asked her to send me a copy.
When I received a copy of the book I was overjoyed. It started with a chapter of Frequently Asked Questions. It gave me well-researched, easy-to-read, plain-English, practical answers to the questions that were going around in my head. Questions like:
1. How do I know if I have melanoma? What are the signs and symptoms?
I wanted to know why the doctor was so concerned when she looked at that little mole on my forearm. What was it that looked so sinister? How worried should I be? Was the doctor over-reacting?
2. What tests will the doctor carry out to see if I have melanoma?
Will they be able to tell me on the spot if there is a problem? Or will I have to wait for days, fretting about what’s going on?
3. How curable is melanoma?
If they do tell me it’s melanoma, what exactly does that mean? Is it a “death sentence”? Will they tell me “You have 12 months to live. Get your life in order and prepare for the worst.”?
4. What are the stages of the disease?
The reading I’d done said that there were different stages of melanoma. What are the symptoms of each stage? What are the survival rates of each stage? If I had a later stage melanoma, wouldn’t I know about it? Wouldn’t I actually feel like I was sick?
5. How quickly does the disease progress or spread?
Should I have gone to the doctor sooner? I’d noticed the mole changing over about 3 months. Was this delay critical?
6. How is melanoma normally treated?
Would I have to go through chemotherapy and radiation treatment? If so, for how long? What are the odds of curing the disease using these treatments? How extensive is any surgery likely to be? How big will the scars be?
7. What are the common side effects of the treatments?
Would I lose my hair? Would I become sterile? What else could I expect?
8. What alternative treatments are available?
I’d heard of people going on special macro-biotic diets. I’d seen lots of herbal remedies on the internet. Which of these are proven and documented, and which ones are “snake oil”? Is it possible to combine alternative treatments with surgical other western treatments? How do I find a doctor that is open to using both alternative and western treatments?
9. What are the latest treatments being developed, and who is carrying out clinical trials of these new treatments?
If there was some new treatment out there, how could I find out about it, and be a part of it?
10. What do I do in the first week after being diagnosed?
I didn’t feel “sick”, so staying home in bed didn’t seem appropriate. But just going back to work and trying to ignore it didn’t work for me either. What would give me the best chance?
11. How do I get in touch with others who are going through the same thing? What support groups are available for melanoma sufferers or friends and family?
I felt it would help to talk to others, especially about their feelings in the early stages. I also wanted to know how to break the news to my family. I have two young children, and the thought of having to tell them “Mommy might not be around for much longer” terrified me.
12. How / where do I get counseling?
I knew I would probably want other support, if the tests came back positive, but where do I find a good, understanding counselor who deals a lot with cancer sufferers?
Suddenly I had some answers. They were all there in the book.
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2009 Best Books Award Finalist!
Date June 1, 2010